Using technology from a sensor made by Fliegl, Austrian farm machinery company Pöttinger has debuted a GPS beacon designed to track the location of pulled farm implements, detect whether or not they are working, and even save maps of their progress.
The technology in the PötPro Guide is surprisingly basic. GPS and 3D sensors inside the small box record movement, and the data is transmitted via Sigfox radio technology, which essentially creates a continuous internet signal independent of the mobile network.
“It’s a small box that makes a non-intelligent machine intelligent,” explains Thomas Keplinger of Pöttinger in the video below.
A PötPro Guide beacon mounted on the side of a round baler.
On an implement as rudimentary as a cultivator, the PötPro Guide uses angle detection to determine whether its in transport or field mode, and vibration measurements to determine whether or not it’s moving. For round balers, the angle measurement technology can be used on the gate to determine when and how many bales are dropped, and create a map showing their location.
RealAgriculture’s Kelvin Heppner caught up with Thomas Keplinger of Pöttinger, to hear more about the technology, at Agritechnica in Hanover, Germany:
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | All Podcasts